We're getting this one out now because Matt Dudek has posted Ralph five 8 times today—levee's about to break. Michigan picked up a commit from NY LB William Mohan today. Mohan is smack dab in the center of viper territory at 6'1", 195. That's always a spot where the rankings can get a little goofy, so it's no surprise that the offers don't really match the stars. Also I don't think the sites are taking his cool-ass nickname—"Apache"—into account. This guy is literally Airwolf.

Let's play the feud!

GURU RANKINGS

Rivals	ESPN	24/7	Composite
4*, 5.8 rating #23 OLB, #1 NY	3*, #78 overall #48 ATH, #3 NY	3*, #651 overall #51 ATH, #5 NY	3*, #415 overall #28 ATH, #3 NY

Pretty big spread, an one that used to be bigger—Mohan's already popped up about 200 spots on 24/7.

SCOUTING

Not a ton of scouting out there. Much of it is reminiscent of Khaleke Hudson. Danny Landberg, Mohan's coach:

“He is a ferocious hitter with relentless pursuit that has bad intentions on contact. He’s very athletic and ran a 4.56-40 yard dash last year at Ohio State camp. His speed off the edge is very scary and he has the right measurables at 6’1 195."

Also Landberg, evocatively:

“[M coaches] haven’t seen many guys on film in the country that fit that position as well he does. He just fits it like a glove … He is a relentless, Tasmanian devil type where he is just going to keep coming after you. That’s his game. His game is he is going to chase you like one of those National Geographic wolves chasing a rabbit and not giving up.”

A slightly overheated regional recruiting blog talks him up:

Turn on the film of the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Mohan, and you’ll think you’ve seen a ball shot out of a cannon, that’s how quick, fast, and agile he is, a missile seeking its target …able to be an outside linebacker, or a hybrid safety/linebacker that everyone covets in today’s game

You get the idea: a little missile off the edge who has the lip curl to be a box defender. Other brief bits from horserace articles include "ability to both run and be physical at his size"; "excess of energy and speed … tailor made for [viper]"; "change of direction and ability to accelerate jumped out …long and athletic"; and "fast and physical …has the athleticism to be a hybrid who can play nickel or linebacker."

No debate, no dissension, no questions: Mohan is a clean fit at viper.

[After THE JUMP: rabid squirrel highlights]

OFFERS

In addition to Michigan, Mohan had offers from OSU, PSU, Wisconsin, Miami, Nebraska, Tennessee, MSU, and BC amongst some others.

Mohan visited OSU literally last weekend and was probably a take, as OSU has gotten a lot of guys from Erasmus Hall in the last few years. Throwing out a bait offer is probably off the table:

Because of the history there, many expected Mohan to be an automatic pledge to the Buckeyes when he received his offer from the program last year, and many inside the community and close to him would love to see him end up in Columbus.

They probably knew things were going pear-shaped with Mohan when he started saying things like this:

"Coach Al Washington at Ohio State, coach Pantoni, and some of the other coaches stay in touch with me," said Mohan. "I know they’re going to have a new system on defense. They want me to play a hybrid safety. It’s kind of like the Jabrill Peppers role."

Ah well.

HIGH SCHOOL

As mentioned, Erasmus Hall has been an OSU pipeline for the last several years.

STATS

52 tackles and 13 sacks is a very high school viper line.

FAKE 40 TIME

A 4.56 at the OSU camp, as mentioned above. He told 24/7 his 40 was "like a 4.6."

VIDEO

No positional projection here: Mohan is already playing viper, except Erasmus Hall probably calls it "lion" or "hero" or "cured meats."

The first couple minutes are very Khaleke-Hudson-vs-Minnesota, with Mohan blitzing in free and ending dudes. He's a hitter—there's a section of the tape where he just ends guys on special teams for fun, which was also a Hudson thing. Later on things get murky since the camera is zoomed way out but he flashes the ability to stack and shed. And he contains the edge excellently on several clips.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

The situation for a viper in the 2020 class is either grim or really really good. Hudson departs after this year, so the job will be open. It's probably not going to go to a true freshman and the main other contenders are going to be second-year guys (or maybe a relocated Jordan Anthony). If Mohan's the real deal he could start from the drop. If he ends up behind one of the 2019 guys he could be waiting for a while.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Mohan is the third viper in the last two classes after Michigan took Joey Velazquez and Anthony Solomon in 2019. That's probably enough for one specialized spot. Michigan is continuing to pursue inside linebackers despite having commitments from Cornell Wheeler and